Melting
by coffeevixen84
Summary: Sometimes, when you feel frozen inside, the only way to heal is to melt...
1. Chapter 1

Melting: Chapter 1

Author's note: Hello, this is an AU-ish fic, so please give me feedback on whether or not it sucks and if I should keep going. I hope you enjoy it, it will be J/H I'm sure….Thanks!

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

She played with the flame, unconcerned with the danger. Holding her finger to the heat, longer and longer until it hurt. She wanted it to blister.

Tears had framed her sad eyes with black rims of mascara, and her pretty pink lips were raw and chapped. She hadn't bothered to wipe away a single tear; and she'd been crying for hours.

She sat in the near-dark, knees tightly pulled to her chest, losing track of the time easily.

She was a tragically gorgeous sight to see. But there was no one there to see her. And that was the problem.

Jackie Burkhart was alone.

* * *

A year had passed since she'd originally left for Chicago. A year in which her heart had seemed to break a little more each day. Steven stayed married to that whore. Eric had stayed in Africa. Her and Fez drifted apart as he found more responsive girls to adore. She barely recognized Donna on the rare occasion she saw her. Michael was thankfully still Michael, but with Betsy demanding more of his time she couldn't intrude with her petty problems. So she had only said goodbye to Red, Kitty, and Bob before she boarded her bus for LA. She hugged them each tightly, thank them each sincerely, and said farewll to Point Place for what she prayed would be eternity.

She had $500 to her name after the bus fare. She knew it wouldn't last long. But she was beautiful, and she was smart, so she hoped she'd land on her feet.

She really had no other choice.

She'd spent the entire bus ride staring out the window, sure that if her life wasn't so desperate she'd have found beauty in all that she saw. Instead though, the mountains made her feel weak, the deserts made her more lonely, and the canyons simply reminded her of the utter emptiness she felt. So she liked it best when it rained, when she could stare into nothing but a blur. That didn't reminded her of anything, so it hurt a little less.

She arrived, finally, to be struck by the heat, by the smell, by the crowd. She was lost instantly in the chaos, sickened by her displacement as she struggled to make any sense of the maps and signs that lined the station walls.

She'd never been more exhausted.

Somehow, the specifics unclear in her mind, she'd managed to make it to this hotel. Small and dingy, so unlike her former-princess standards, but she could no longer afford to be picky.

Andso that's where she'd been for 2 days, crying for the home she'd lost long before leaving, and for the horrifying coldness she felt inside that she just couldn't melt.


	2. Chapter 2

Melting: Chapter 2

Author's Note: Please, please, please review if you have any opinion of this story what so ever. If my writing is getting cliché or redundant, please feel free to let me know. If you think my characterization sucks at life, let me know. If you like it, that'd be nice to hear too, just please let me know something! Alright, now that the begging is over I just want to thank all of you for reading, I hope you enjoy…

Disclaimer: Not Mine

She'd been in the city a few weeks. It had taken a number of days just to talk herself into rejoining the world, and it was only her gnawing hunger that had gotten her out of her room so quickly. Now she was starting to find a routine, and that was nice because the fewer chances she had to think would mean the fewer chances she had to remember how alone she was.

She was auditioning all day, every day, for any studio that would see her. Then she'd found a job serving drinks in a slightly sleazy bar. The regular clientele was pretty rough. Gross middle-aged men, smelling of stale alcohol and cigarettes as they groped her freely, and left tips based entirely on skin exposure, rather than on the quality of her service. She felt demeaned, and was sure that Donna would be ashamed of her, if Donna cared enough to know what she was doing, but she made enough to eat a little and stay in her hotel. So, she didn't complain; besides, she had no one to complain to.

She had already gotten a few calls from Kitty. She'd been flattered that Mrs. Forman was worried about her, like a mother would be. Apparently Donna and Fez had been upset not receive any goodbye's, but frankly Jackie was surprised they'd noticed she was gone. But she told Kitty to tell them she was sorry and missed them. At least half of it was true. And somehow every time Kitty tried to mention Steven, Jackie managed to steer the conversation away. She was sure he didn't care that she was gone, and she couldn't handle hearing any news of his newlywed bliss.

Surprisingly, the last time Kitty called Red had asked to talk to her. He'd asked if she had enough money. She said she found a job. He asked if she felt safe. She assured him she had pepper spray in her purse and kept her door locked at all times. He told her to be careful. She promised that she would. He said to make sure she stayed in touch. He said the house was too quiet. She said she missed him too.

And that had been it. And when she hung up, she had cried for hours.

* * *

She'd been in LA about a month when she finally got an audition call back. It was for a small independent film being done by a no-name, fresh-out-of-film-school director. It would barely pay for her week's rent at the hotel, but it was a start.

Coming out of her second reading, she realized she nailed it. Necessity can be great motivation.

Luckily, the director was flexible and shot her scenes around her shifts at the bar. The whole process went quickly, and after the last day of filming the director had followed her to work, to celebrate with a drink the completion of his first film. He'd bought her a few drinks too, told her she was great. He told her he knew she'd be a star.

She slept with him.

Even though she knew he was lying.

But she just didn't want to be alone anymore.

She woke up the next morning without him beside her. She was relieved he was gone. Somehow, even when he was on top of her, looking at her like she was the most beautiful girl he'd ever touched, she looked back at him and barely recognized this man. And she had never felt lonelier.

She figured life just sucks that way sometimes.

* * *

The next call from Kitty brought news of Eric's return. Kitty sounded like she was walking on clouds. But she said something about wishing her other babies would come home too. Jackie knew that she was included in that wish, her and Michael and Laurie. She was grateful. A moment of mother's genuine love can seem to transcend the miles, and for a second she felt slightly warm around the edges.

Eric had taken the phone at one point. They talked for a good hour about the last bit of his adventure abroad and about her movie and the beach. She'd been surprised at how easily the conversation came between them. Perhaps that's why she had gotten up the nerve to finally ask about Steven.

"Oh, he's Hyde. Doesn't say much that isn't to insult someone else. But he seems alright. Content if not happy."

Somehow that news made her feel even colder inside.


	3. Chapter 3

Melting : Chapter 3

Author's Note: So thanks for reading everyone. And the reviewers are glorious. I am kind of just letting this story take me wherever it wants, rather than planning out a plotline like my others, so feedback would be so valuable. I adore you all, and I hope you enjoy...

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

Jackie kept busy. Since the movie wrapped she'd picked up some more hours at the bar so she could finally move out of the hotel and get a small apartment of her own. She worked long hours and came home tired. The only part of her days where she could really smile was when her phone rang.

The calls were becoming pretty regular. She hadn't gone more than two days without getting a Point Place update in the last month. Sometimes it was Donna who called, sometimes Fez or Eric. Her favorites were when it was Red. He'd try to pretend he'd called her on accident, to make it less obvious that he cared, but he'd stay on the phone for well over an hour telling her about the "dumbasses" she'd left behind and badgering her for details.

On the days when no one called she couldn't seem to get warm, despite the constant humidity and heat of the coast. She'd lie in bed, shivering, crying, until utter exhaustion would put her to sleep.

Sometime she felt the urge to pack her stuffup and head back to Wisconsin. But she couldn't. She wouldn't. She missed them all, but she'd been enduring this cold even before she left.

And she couldn't bear to face Steven.

* * *

"...So this guy, his hands all flailing around like Eric's when he's excited, is like, 'There's a bee in my shorts, there's a bee in my shorts!' And I am spraying water at his shorts to try and get the bee out and then he just stops and looks at me angrily. And I'm all like, 'Dude, I was just trying to help,' but he's still pissed and so he takes off after me and I'm like, well it's a good thing I run fast." 

She tried to giggle at Michael. She was glad to hear from him, but she'd had a horribly rotten day.

She'd been late to work, which meant a significant dock in her pay, not to mention the horrendously offensive businessman who's glazed-over eyes swept over her so carefully, as if memorizing every detail, that her blood ran ice cold while her skin crawled with a thousand scorpions. She was used to men ogling her, hell she had to be after being friends with Fez for so many years. But this man was different. He was dressed well, hair slicked back, his suit the finest money could buy. And his eyes were dangerously blue. Steven's blue. She shook away the memory of him the best she could to respond to Michael's questions.

Yes, she was doing all right. Of course she missed him. She would love him to visit. But no, they could not "do it."

Kelso seemed to sense she was preoccupied, because after a while he stopped asking questions and finished the conversation with an "I love you."

She smiled weakly into the phone, and she hoped he knew how much that meant to her.

* * *

The man kept coming back to the bar. He might skip a couple days but Jackie knew he'd be back eventually, so she went into work each night with a startling level of dread in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to tell someone about the way he looked at her, about how he made her heart forget to beat with those piercing eyes, but she knew her boss would blow it off and she didn't want any of her friends back home to worry. 

But she couldn't shake the feeling. And she was getting tired of fighting the cold inside.

She'd been away for six months now. She'd moved a few weeks back into a small place a few blocks from the bar. She hadn't been to an audition in forever and she wondered why she was so tired all the time.

At the end of a long night at work Jackie was wiping down tables. There had been a large crowd in that night, and they were particularly rowdy for a Wednesday. She was humming to herself, trying to keep from collapsing right there on the table. She felt his eyes on her, he was one of the only two guys left in the place. She tried to ignore his stare. She was doing a decent job too, with so many tables to clean and chairs to put up, but as she got closer and closer to his corner an intense feeling of nausea swept over her, and as she looked up in pain hecaught her eye. And he gave her a sickening smile.

Jackie ran to the backroom, and making apologies about sudden illness to one of the other waitresses, ran out of the bar as quickly as she could.

The whole way home she felt like someone was behind her. She'd look over her shoulder and see nothing. But still she refused to slow down. As she climbed the front steps to her building, panting for breath, but even thenstill cold, she fumbled for her keys as her hands shook violently. Finally letting herself inside her apartment, and bolting the door locked behind her, she let herself breathe more deeply in near relief.

The phone rang. She smiled, hoping it was Red or Kitty or Donnna to help her push awaythe horrible feeling swirling in her abdomen.

Butwhen she said hello a different kind of fear took hold of her, aperhaps even more intense kind.

And Steven Hyde's voice asked, "Jackie?"


	4. Chapter 4

Melting: Chapter 4

Author's Note: If you are reading this, please review…pretty, pretty, pretty please. Thanks for paying any attention to my efforts at creative flow, and I sincerely hope you enjoy it…

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

"Steven?" She would have tried to make her voice steely and emotionless had she not been so surprised.

"Yeah, Jacks. It's me."

"Oh."

The pause was awkward, long, deafening.

"How's California?"

"Sunny. Wisconsin?"

"Starting to get cold."

"Sounds about right."

"Look, Jackie, I just wanted to see how you were, to see if you were okay."

"I'm fine, Steven. Anyone else who hangs out in that house could have told you that. I just talked to Fez two days ago."

"I'd rather hear it from you."

Another awkward pause.

"How's the wife?"

"Gone."

"What?"

"She left. Three months ago. No one mentioned it?"

"No."

"Yeah."

"Why'd she leave? A nurse stumble into your lap?" She cringed at her own tone. They were being civil, she didn't need to stir up old pain.

He took a beat before answering, she could picture the face that meant he was biting his tongue to keep from saying something harsh back.

"I asked for the divorce. We should have never been married."

"You don't need to tell me that."

"Jackie, I didn't call to fight, damn it."

"Then why did you call? Are you lonely? Do you want me to come home so you have some girl's heart to play with?"

"No. I just, I missed you, okay?"

Jackie let the air drag out to the verge of another way-too-long pause. Then she let the dial tone tell Steven what she could not.

* * *

A week later Jackie hadn't answered her phone once. Every time it rang, which was often since they were all apparently worried, she let it go in case it was Steven. He had asked for the divorce. What the hell did that mean?

She'd finally made herself make time for another audition. For a bigger studio project this time. Not a huge role, but one that would hopefully gain her some credibility. So when the phone rang, even though her hand was shaking, she answered. Even if it was Steven, it wasn't worth missing a callback.

She said hello only to hear heavy breathing on the other end of the line. She repeated herself, hoping she was imagining things. But as she held the phone to her ear all she could hear was harsh, ragged breaths, growing increasingly more hampered and short. There was a whisper, words she didn't understand. And her knuckles clear from gripping so tightly to the phone, she hung upand cried for the next hour.

* * *

Every time the phone rang after that she had to talk herself into answering. Thankfully, neither Steven nor the breather called again.

The studio did call. And she got the part. And when Kitty called to clarify her new address, Jackie told her the good news and could hear the pride in Mrs. Forman's voice.

All of her scenes were shot early. After a few weeks, she no longer had to go to the studio and had returned to working double shifts at the bar. The man hadn't been in for a while, and Jackie told herself he must have moved on. She told herself, but she didn't believe it.

And every time the door opened, she fearfully looked back.

* * *

A month after she shot her final scene the studio called again needing her to come in for some post-production audio work. She wasn't sure she knew what that meant, but all the same she dressed as nicely as she could and made her way to the appointment.

After a session of re-recording some of her lines, Jackie walked out of the studio's building hoping that if this movie went well she'd soon find enough work to be able to quit the bar. That's when she felt eyes on her. It was a stare that felt like a wet blanket on her back, heavy and discomforting; and looking over her shoulder she cringed to see the man from the bar leaning against a building across the street. Smoking a cigarette, just staring.

She pretended not to notice him. She began walking, briskly, towards the bus stop down a few blocks.

And again, Jackie feltdeathly cold all over.


	5. Chapter 5

Melting: Chapter 5

Author's Note: Please keep reading and reviewing. I still get so nervous every time I post anything. I hope people keep reading this and enjoy it...

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

She had finally done it. Quit the job at the bar that is. The movie had paid enough to keep her sheltered for a while, and she'd gotten a few contacts that she hoped would lead to more roles. It had reached a point where going into work just one more day, having to look over shoulder, having her breath catch every time she heard footsteps behind her, was a torture she could no longer endure.

* * *

When Donna called to tell her that they were coming for a visit, Jackie's heart lifted slightly with hope that maybe, for a while at least, her loneliness would ease, her emptiness would fill.

Donna and Eric would be flying out at the end of the next week, Fez was to follow the day after that.

Kelso would try and join if he could.

There was no mention of Steven's thoughts on the trip, and Jackie thanked Donna and God internally for that.

She spent a few days cleaning her apartment. It wasn't much, and her possessions were few. But she'd splurged on a used sofa and she covered it's worn patches with pretty pillows, and she barely ate for days so the fridge could afford to be stocked when her friends arrived.

The evening before the visit, Jackie sat on her living room floor and looked out the glass door that opened to her apartment's standard balcony. If she squinted carefully her eyes would blur the rusted lawn chair that sat outside, bypass the discolored parked cars of her neighbors, and see only the lights of the city street. She pretended they were stars. Like the ones of Wisconsin skies she took for granted. The stars she'd wished on helplessly when Michael had hurt her; the stars she'd gazed at thankfullywhen Steven had given her a chance; the stars she'd watched alone desperatelyon her nights before leaving. LA didn't have the right kind of stars for wishing on, it only had the stars that would break your dreams.

She stared for a long time, internalizing the fear of a stranger, the plague of feeling alone, the disappointment of each day's slow passing. She was systematically bottling these emotions up, so that for the next few days they couldn't be seen. She had heard the expression, "You can never go home again," and wondered if it was even less possible for home to come to you. Eric and Donna would be there in hours, and she wasn't sure if the twist in her gut was excitement or dread.

* * *

"Jackie, you look wonderful!" Donna exclaimed as she gathered the smaller girl into her arms. Jackie wondered if her best friend was surprised to not get a response of , "Don't I always."

Eric too pulled Jackie into a tight embrace, and she was surprised and relieved to find herself hugging him back. Maybe she wouldn't have to pretend she was glad to see them; it'd been so long since she knew exactly what she felt.

She led them to the baggage claim and surprised Donna more by offering to help carry her bags. She'd changed a lot in the last few months, and she wasn't sure how she felt about that.

After the taxi ride back toherapartment, Donna and Eric both seemed tired. Jackie suggested they all take a rest, even though her eyes felt as if they were stuck open while her two friends breathed deep breaths of sleep on her bed.

The first night turned out easy. After a small dinner they traveled to the beach where they took a long walk. Jackie was thankful that conversation came naturally. Donna talked about her job, Eric about classes. They both gave a brief account of how they got back together and reported how their families were. Jackie laughed like she hadn't in ages when Eric told her of Laurie's attempt at Culinary school and how she now held a record for how quickly she got kicked out.

As they made their way back, Jackie almost ignored the feeling that she was being watched. But as they turned a corner she knew he was there, on the other side of the street. She walked a little faster and wedged herself between the couple. She wondered what the man would think to see her with friends. She felt a twinge of hope that maybe now he'd leave her alone. Then she wondered how he'd found her to begin with. And all that hope was gone.

* * *

Again at the airport, Jackie stood waiting with Donna and Eric for the flight from Minneapolis to enter. She had woken up that morning feeling more rested than she had in probably a year. And as she heard Michael Kelso's voice exclaim, "Damn, Fez!" before she even saw him,her bodyalmost stopped the shivering she had gotten so used to. Like a blur, Michael ran from the gate and charged at them, Fez, munching on a candy bar, rushed behind as fast as he could while eating. She smiled, a true smile, at the two boys she'd missed so much, before her face fell at the sight of sunglasses and curly hair strolling up behind them. 


	6. Chapter 6

Melting: Chapter 6

Author's Note: Thank you for reading. Let me know what you think: good, bad, or ugly. Enjoy this little slice of my imagination, I hope you like.

Disclaimer: Not Mine

Jackie's body was rigid as the familiar chill washed over her. She couldn't really feel Michael's hug. Fez's excited chatter was muted. Donna, who stood next to her, seemed miles away. Herclouded eyes fixated on Steven Hyde. And narrowed.

"How dare you come here?" She asked. Her voice was quiet, but ice cold. Her friends blinked at the hostility radiating from her, surprised that she would let it show so openly. They looked between Jackie and Hyde as his jaw set itself, the muscle clenching sternly as he continued to stare right back at her.

Her voice was still soft as she demanded for an answer.

"It's a free country, Jackie. I can go wherever I damn well please." His tone wasn't one of argument, just of statement. He was reminding her that she didn't scare him.

"And where do you please, Steven? Wherever there is a cheap, sleazy woman to attend to?" Now she was reminding him of her anger.

"Retract those claws, Jackie. I'm just here for a vacation. I will gladly stay out of your way."

"You better." And with that, Jackie's attention shifted. Returning to Kelso and Fez she began asking questions. About Betsy, the salon, Brooke, Chicago, candy. As quickly as Hyde's presence had brought out her anger, Fez and Kelso managed to return her smile as the group, complete for the first time in over a year, headed out of the airport.

* * *

As they all settled around Jackie's small apartment, chattering wildly to all catch each other up, Jackie felt herself calming. Steven was doing just as he said, staying out of her way. He only talked occasionally and when he did he kept any and all burns away from Jackie's direction. And she was relieved to find that time had done its job. She was far from over him,or the pain, but being in the same room with him wasn't as unbearable as it had once been, as she had expected it to be. And so she could focus on the fact that they were all friends, good friends. And she had missed them.

For what felt like the first time, Jackie laughed with all her insides. She felt herself growing warmer, more life like. It was such a nice feeling to not be shaking from her inner cold...now, if only it could last.

The conversation continued as Jackie's phone rang. Without any thought Jackie answered, still half listening to Kelso's story about the elderly man who sat beside him on the plane and snored the whole trip. She was startled when she heard nothing but heavy breathing again, and the hair on the back of her neck tightened, goingpoker-straight; the familiar frost consumed her.

From across the room Hyde noticed her face go white, her eyes glazing.He recognized what he thought wasa fearful expression.As the rest giggled at Kelso's antics, he got up and walked to Jackie's side. She lookedup at him, andfor the first time in a long time he didn't see her painor anger glaringback at him.What could be happening on the other end to cause this?

Her hand was shaking as he removed the phone from her grasp. Holding the phone up to his own ear, he said hello and a sharp click left him listening to the dial tone.

* * *

Before Hyde had the chance to ask Jackie just what the strange call had been about, she was swept up again by an animated Fez desperately in need of candy. As the group went about finding food and entertainment for the night, the opportunity never really arose for him to ask Jackie what was going on. Jackie noticed though that all through dinner and as they headed to a movie, Hyde's eyes never once left her. He was reading her, or at least trying to. And she was sure his gut was telling him the same thing her's was...that something was off.

But she wasn't sure how to talk about it...especially with him.

So she was thankful for the distractions as Eric went in to another long winded Star Wars life comparison and Fez and Kelso battled with popcorn. It gave her time to think, how ever dangerous an activity that may be.


	7. Chapter 7

Melting: Chapter 7

Author's Note: Thank you so much for all of you who are so generous with your feedback. I appreciate it greatly. A major complaint seems to be my short chapter lengths so I've tried to make this one a bit longer. As always I am anxiously awaiting your reactions. Please let me know what you think, and as always I sincerely thank you for even taking the time to read this and I hop you enjoy.

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

The apartment was dark, except for the lights from down the street filtering through the blinds. Jackie listened to the quiet, and rolled over onto her other side. She just couldn't sleep.

The seconds ticked by, falling away to the early morning hours, and Jackie grew increasingly uneasy. She just couldn't stop her mind. Worry about the voice and the man that just wouldn't go away; the anxiety of having Steven so close after all this time; the delight of seeing her friends; her worsening homesickness. All of this plagued her thoughts until her head ached from the pressure. Growling in frustration she pushed herself out of bed.

Creeping into the living room, she tip toed passed the sleeping bags ofthe boysandthe sleepingDonna curled uptightly on the couch. Making her way to the tiny kitchen she poured herself a glass of cool water and sipped it slowly, thoughtfully, in the dark.

"Can't sleep?" came the unexpected whisper.

Though shefelthim, before he spoke, she still jumped at his voice. She had thought she would have to be the first to talk.

"No, Steven. I can't."

"Anything to do with that phone call?"

Not sure she wanted to get into this, she played dumb half-heartedly. "Phone call?"

"Jacks. What's going on?"

She couldn't hide her physical reaction to the nickname. The softening, the chill, then the return to her hardened expression.

"It was a wrong number, a prank call. Nothing's wrong."

"You don't sound like you believe that, Jackie. Has it happened before?"

She concentrated on the faucet as she refilled her glass. "A couple of times. It's nothing."

"Jackie." He rarely was so persistent, and she was surprised that his concern eased her mind slightly.

"I used to work at a bar. Not a nice bar. And aman would come inalmost every night andjust watch me. And now I've seen him a few times on the street. And these calls have happened a couple of times and so it scares me a little, okay?"

They'd been whispering the whole time, but her voice got even smaller somehow.

He stepped closer and she could see a worried expression as he passed through the window's shadow blue glow.

"Have you told anyone?"

She just shook her head. For the first time she let the fear come out, and she let the anger fade back. At that moment she saw Steven Hyde not as the former love, but asa current friend. And surprising them both, she let him pull her into a hug.

* * *

"Jackie, I want to see the babes of Hollywood!" Fez whined as they all mad their way to her audition. Jackie had told them they could go out and she'd meet up with them after, but Steven had refused to let her go alone and naturally, Michael and Fez just wanted a chance to see famous girls.

She was a little proud when they walked into the building and the receptionist remembered her name. She hoped that her friends realized how hard she'd been working, but she also wanted them to think she didn't need to; that she was memorable. She wanted to impress them, maybe she even wanted them to envy her,but thenshe scolded herself for her old ways.

She had every intention of leaving them in the lobby as she went up for her reading, but as she headed for the elevator, Steven followed close behind.

She wanted to tell him to go back downstairs, that she didn't need to be watched, that she didn't want him so close to her. But she didn't say a word. And when the director asked who he was, he introduced himself as her agent, giving the look that dared them to question.

She'd been reading well, but the actor opposite her was having trouble getting through the scene. It was an ex-lover's quarrel, and the boy, maybe only 17, was flushed and blushing. The director dismissed him and Jackie's heart sank that she too would not be asked to continue when they offered a script to Hyde and asked him to lend a hand. He looked prepared to protest but she pleaded with her eyes. She needed the work badly.

"If you could just start on page 42, Mr. Hyde."

She watched Steven gulp, remove his glasses, and wet his lips.

"You know this isn't fair." His voice was quiet, slow, flat. He cleared his throat in discomfort.

"What isn't fair?" She delivered the line like a pro.

"You and him. Right here, in front of me, everyday. I can't take it, and I shouldn't have to. This isn't how it's supposed to be." His voice gained a little volume, a little inflection.

"Maybe not, but this is how it is, Frank. And I can't change that. I can't just walk out on him now."

"You don't love him." His voice was soft, but very real.

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. You love me." Jackie gulped to hear him say that, her throat was getting dry.

"Maybe. But I'll learn not to. It's over and we can't go back. And I'm too tired to try again."

"You would let it end this way? Let it end because you are just too tired? I never thought I'd say this, Grace, but you are a coward. A scared little girl. We were just too real and you panicked. But I'm sick of paying for your hang ups. We can fix this. If you are too tired, I'll do it. Just let me try for us."

Jackie couldn't believe what she was hearing. And she knew it wasn't lost on Steven either. She didn't know the exact situation of the characters, but this all felt very familiar. Very familiar, yet very reversed.

"No, Frank. I've got somebody and I can't just leave that. I won't be that girl who runs. We had our chance, and it's over. Maybe we jumped to conclusions, maybe we let ourselves believe lies, but we hurt, Frank, badly. We hurt each other and that was real. And we can't just go back. I won't."

Her eyes were glistening with new tears. His eyes were clouded, and his voice heavy.

"Then I'll follow you forward. I'll come for you. Always."

The stare was broken by the sound of the director's voice.

"Thank you, Miss Burkhart. Mr. Hyde, we appreciated you stepping in. We'll let you know in a couple of days."

They left the room silently, went back down to the lobby and rejoined their friends. As Michael got the receptionist's number, and Fez whined that not a single hottie had been in to audition, and Donna talked excitedly about how she thought she saw Burt Reynolds, Jackie avoided Hyde's eyes deliberately.

Things were getting even more confusing.


	8. Chapter 8

Melting: Chapter 8

Author's Note: I apologize profusely for the length of time it took me to update…my computer was out being worked on and sitting in the library trying to write fanfiction was oddly distracting. So I'll be updating two really close together in attempts to beg for you forgiveness. I really hope you enjoy…and as always, let me know what you think. Reviews make my world go 'round!

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

She stood at the gates hugging her friends goodbye and Jackie Burkhart could feel the loneliness spreading through her like poison, thickening her veins to the point she just ached everywhere.

Fez was crying. Blubbering really, whining that he'd never see her again. And Michael Kelso looked like he could lose it at any moment as he pulled her in for a tight hug and kissed her affectionately on the top of the head.

"I really do love you, Jackie." She smiled against his chest.

"I know, Michael, and I love you too."

She turned to Donna as he released her.

"I feel like I just got here. I really miss you, ya know. Even more than I thought I would. So you want to come back, say the word, and I'll get a bed all ready for you at my house, okay?" Donna looked like she too was fighting tears. And it warmed Jackie a little to feel this loved. She'd left for a lot of reasons, but one that had stung badly was that she honestly thought they all wouldn't miss her. Yet here they were, having traveled all this way, and so sad to leave her. She had taken for granted many things in her life, but not these people standing in front of her. Not anymore. Jackie Burkhart had a lot to work out, but at the truth of it, as she hugged Donna, she realized in her own way, she was lucky.

She went to Eric, expecting playful banter to mask the fact that they now like each other, a lot, and would miss each other greatly. But rather, Eric's skinny arms encircled her and she smiled as she thought she heard him suck some emotion back into his throat. And before he let her go he whispered in her ear, "Come home soon."

As four of her friends stood closer to their destination, she turned wearily to the last goodbye.

"Well, Steven. It was, uh, good to see you." She looked down at her feet.

"Jackie, what are you doing?" She looked at him, confused by his question.

"I'm trying to say a polite 'goodbye'. I'm sorry, if I'd have realized you were in the mood to be an asshole today I wouldn't have bothered." For a minute Jackie almost felt like normal and she glared at her ex-lover with an almost-heated intensity. Almost, but not quite. She was still freezing.

"No, Jackie. What are you doing saying 'goodbye'?" He took of his sunglasses, put down his bag, and folded his arms across his chest. "I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

He was in the shower. So she could afford to think for a few minutes. He couldn't stay too long, he had a record store to run. But he said he was staying. Failing to mention how long, or even asking if he could continue to sleep in her living room. But rather than annoyed or angry, Jackie was surprised by the wave of relief. They may have baggage. Tension. Hostility. But he was familiar.

And she wouldn't have to be alone.

But then the phone rang, and she felt like her heart just stopped.


	9. Chapter 9

Melting: Chapter 9

Author's Note: Let me know what you think, pretty pretty please. I can't tell you how much your encouragement means, and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

"Jackie? What's wrong?"

Jackie Burkhart sat staring vacantly at the telephone, still holding the receiver in her hand, as the dial tone began to infiltrate the otherwise quiet room. She didn't hear Hyde's concerned questions. She didn't look into his worried face. She just remembered the chilling, husky voice and the words that it spoke and wished to God it had only been breathing.

"Jackie!" His voice sharpened and so she finally snapped up to look him in the eye. "Jackie, was it one of those calls again?"

She nodded.

"Are you okay?"

She shook her head.

He looked at her intently, scrutinizing her face, her eyes, for any insight into what she might be thinking, feeling.

"He said…" She trailed off softly, feeling the need to gulp at the air. He sat down beside her and gently pulled her body to face him, continuing the stare that begged her to keep going. "He said, 'I don't care if you aren't alone. I see you. I _always_ see you.'" Her eyes were beginning to well up, and her hands were clenched so tightly that her nails were digging into her palms. She didn't notice that the man she'd loved and lost and pined over was sitting close beside her, in a towel, holding her. She didn't register what she was doing when she shifted to cling to him with all her strength,clutching his bare shoulders for dear life. She just knew that she was terrified and that he would protect her, and that seemed to magically, even if just for a moment, make everything else fall away. _Everything_.

* * *

The nextseveral days neither one had left the apartment. Jackie was waiting to hear back from the audition, and Hyde refused to leave her alone, even for a second. At first the awkwardness had been overwhelming. It seemed every time they turned around they were in each other's way. The moments of concern and of comfort that had passed between them seemed to add to the tension now as Jackie fought to avoid meeting his eyes. In her times of fear she could turn to his strong arms, no questions asked. But in the inbetween times...

After aday or twothough, they found a rhythm. A routine. She'd get up, shower, and then he'd wake up. While he showered she'd make breakfast. Then they'd eat, without talking, without even glancing across the table, as he read the paper and she did the crossword puzzle. Then he'd watch TV while she read a book. Or she'dlay outon the balcony while he called in to check on the store. Existing together, staying out of the way. Comfortable…but silent.

Finally though, the time had come to emerge from their fortress. They needed groceries. And Jackie needed fresh air. Waiting until the evening, when they were sure the audition call would not come that day, they set out on a mission for milk and bread and apples. They walked in stride, Hyde purposely slowing down for her short legs. Her head was high, eyes staying forward, fighting the urge to look at the way his arms had tanned from the beach days the week before. His eyes, hidden behind his sunglasses, were narrowed, combing the streets for a suspicious stranger, convinced for the first time his paranoia could work in their favor.

They reached the store and began to roam side by side the many aisles. Picking up foods the other liked without thinking, in sync enough to skip over the same aisles without speaking. And as Jackie put a twelve pack of beer into the cart she could again feel someone's eyes on her. But this time she was not scared. Someone's gaze was intense, focused, heavy on her. And she smiled, because this time, it was Steven Hyde's.


	10. Chapter 10

Melting: Chapter 10

Author's Note: Anyone else feel like there is absolutely nothing simultaneously more liberating and more limiting than a blank page in front of a writer? Just curious…At any rate, I'm really thankful for the feedback. I seriously have to pep talk myself before every post so I can get over the fear of being flamed into tears. But I always want to know what you think, so even if you don't like it, please share…and I sincerelyhope you enjoy this!

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

Jackie Burkhart woke with a start. The last thing she remembered was watching the _Dukes of Hazzard_ while Steven talked to Kitty on the phone. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw from the clock on the wall that she'd been asleep for several hours. He must have carried her to her bed, drawn the blankets up around her, tucking her in. She smiled at the thought of Steven wanting her safe and warm. If only she could really _feel_ the warmth. He didn't know just how badly she'd been broken. How she'd shut down, frozen up, died inside, without him. He didn't know that just by being there he'd brought back flashes of heat to her skin for the first time in a year, restoredthe memory of the life she had and what she used to hope for, andall the while reminded her bitterly of what she'd lost, how she'd lost it, and why the flashes always subsided.

If she listened hard she could hear him breathing in the other room. If she thought back carefully she could almost feel what it was like when he held her days before. It was so confusing, to want something so badly and to, at the same time, wish it so completely away. She loved him. But they could never be again. And so while she was thankful he was just there, just a few footsteps away, she knew deep inside her frosted insides that she was all alone still. Maybe for always.

* * *

A little over a week had passed now since everyone else had flown home. Steven spent at least an hour each day reviewing the numbers with Randy, or trying to with Leo, so as to monitor the business as best he could from a distance. The audition had led to a call back, and as Jackie stood in front of the mirror preparing for her second reading later that day she noticed how sad her eyes looked and that made her too-frequent frown deepen.

She knew Steven was worried, and not just in terms of the phone calls. When she'd talked to Donna the night before her best friend had said that, though Hyde couldn't believe he was saying it, he thought she was too quiet. Donna seemed to think that meant much more in Steven-talk. Jackie did too. So she did her best to smile slightly when she came into the kitchen for lunch.

"What time is the audition?"

"3 o'clock." He motioned for her to sit at the table while he finished making them sandwiches.

"Can you be ready by 2:15?"

She nodded. And then they ate in silence.

At 2:45 she checked in with the receptionist at the studio, smiling politely when the young girl gushed over how Michael had said such sweet things on the phone. Jackie thought to herself he had probably forgotten to mention he was back in Illinois.

Again when the time came to go into her audition, Steven was close behind her.

"Ms. Burkhart, Mr. Hyde. Nice to see you both again." The producer seemed much more friendly this time. She smiled as her reply.

This scene she was to read on her own, a speech before exiting. She silently thanked God that she wasn't going to have to through the last read all over again.

Until she looked at the page.

They calmly prodded, "Whenever you're ready, Ms. Burkhart."

She knew that meant, "Now."

Taking a deep breath she began...

"I don't know! Okay? I know you hate hearing that, and it's not like I love saying it, but it's true. I **don't** know; how could I?" Jackie could feel her eyes sting at their edges.If she didn't need the money so badly...

"We are so young. And _everything_ in my whole life has been about survival. And now you want me to say, with certainty, that for the rest of my life I am going to allow myself to need you? Well I can't do that, not right now. And I won't lie just so you can keep thinking this is some perfect romance. You want to tame me. You want to put me up as this delicate doll, fragile and beautiful, for the rest of the world to see. You want me to be perfect. But that's not me. I go where I want to go, and I'll love how I want to love. And if you can't accept that, then you can go…cause I _do_ love you, God help me I do. But I won't change for you." Her voice had risen, and at the ends it began to shake. She took a moment to look tearfully at Steven.

"I won't change for you. I can't."

Handing the script back to the director, she smiled shyly as she wiped at her eyes.

"Thank you, Ms. Burkhart. We'll be in touch." She shook both men's hands firmly, Steven followed behind her to do the same. And then they were out the door, out the building. The thick air of tension following them the whole way.


	11. Chapter 11

Melting: Chapter 11

Author's Note: I'd like to apologize for taking so long for the next post. I have been running around like a crazy person because I was on the committee for a charity event that took place recently. But it was a success, and is thankfully over, so now I can resume procrastinating my school work by writing fanfiction. I tell you this stuff is addictive…at any rate, my apologies and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

"So that was, uh, good. A nice reading." Hyde shoved his hands in his pockets nervously as they stepped outside the studio building into the bright sunlight of a California afternoon.

"Yeah, hmm, well, thank you, Steven." They carefully avoided looking at each other as they hastily crossed the busy street and continued their way back to the apartment.

Silence had fallen between them, and for some reason the awkwardness made Jackie angry more than anything else. She felt like she'd come too far and tried too hard to chip away at the pain to just let things continue this way. She was in California. She had a place of her own. She was working, however sporadically, as an actress. And while things may not be great, or even fine, she refused to let the past hurts of her relationship with Steven Hyde sweep over her again like an avalanche. She began fuming as they continued to walk, and Hyde was surprised as he had to quicken his pace to keep up with her.

Her little legs moved briskly, picking up speed as she considered the thought of backtracking, the idea of him leaving her again in ruins, the notion that she'd never be able to get over him. Hot angry tears began to leak out and down the curve of her cheek. Her breathing turned to huffing and at some point she even forgot he was beside her. If she wasn't so angryshe might have noticed the top layer of ice slipping away...

Hyde watched her melt down, his head cocked to the side, his face revealing confusion and worry. Finally, as she began to mumble angrily words he did not understand, he reached out and pulled gently on her arm, "Jackie."

Her head snapped, her walking stopped abruptly, and he was taken aback by the raging fire in her eyes.

"Jackie?"

"You." Her voice was harsh, and dangerously even. "You make no sense.Why are you still here, is all of this a game to you? Do you like to play with me to make yourself feel better? Do you have any idea how dead I was, how cold I am? Do you realize you did that to me? Locked me away in ice? Or do you not care that I had to leave my home because you made me a stranger in it? I will not go through all of this again, I am still trying to climb my way out, I won't let you knock me back down. And you are out here playing watch dog, pretending like you give a damn about me? And you look at me while I read my lines, and it's you and me on a page, and you don't even look sorry or sad that we lost anything, that I lost everything. Are you really such a heartless, unfeeling bastard? Cause if so, that's not zen, that's, that's, that's unfortunate. For you. And for me. And…" He'd been watching her, and as upset as he was to hear what he was hearing, the thing that got his attention most was that color had returned to her cheeks in a way that he'd missed. Her eyes had a blaze in them again, and he had to grin. Smugly and satisfied. "You're smiling. Why are you smiling? Damnit Steven, can you not take this seriously please? Steven." Hyde had begun to chuckle at how much he'd missed this whining demanding side of Jackie. He watched her huffing return and her fact contort into the pout pre-tantrum he loved so much. He could see her gearing up and was about to interrupt her when he noticed the figure of a man, watching from across the busy street, leaning against the brick wall of a local store, puffing on a cigarette like he was casually taking in a film. Something in his gut told him this wasn't just a stranger, but the stranger. Hyde felt his body tense and Jackie who'd kept rambling fell silent at the new expression stretched out upon his features. His face paled, his jaw trembled from clenching so tightly, and even under the guard of his sunglasses Jackie could see his sight grazing over her shoulder and glaring behind her. "Steven? Steven, what is it?" She went to turn and follow his gaze when he clamped a hand on her shoulder to keep her locked in place.

"Don't look." He growled. Jackie's forehead furrowed in confusion but she could feel this was one of those times when it was in her best interest not to argue. Hyde moved to remove his sunglasses as he continued to stare at the man across the street. He wanted the stranger to see his eyes and know he was watching him. After exhaustive seconds of a silent stare down, Hyde put his hands on either side of a further perplexed Jackie's face. Kissing her deeply he felt her body tense and then melt, he held her firmly and it was a long moment before he let her go. He set his stare right back on the man across the street. The man threw his cigarette down and stepped on it before turning and heading into the store. Satisfied at the outcome of this encounter, Hyde placed his hand protectively around Jackie and led her away, silently.


	12. Chapter 12

Melting: Chapter 12

Author's Note: Sorry, Sorry, Sorry for the delay. I really hope this doesn't disappoint. Let me know what you think, and as always…Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

As Jackie unlocked the door to her apartment and felt Hyde follow her in, shock was still etched clearly upon her face and confusion fizzing around her insides. What the hell had just happened? She'd been standing there, shouting at him, angrier than she had been in a long time, and then suddenly his face had held the most terrifying expression. Cheeks paling with both anger and fear, eyes clouded heavily, all before kissing her so hard her lips felt as if they were bruised. And then it dawned on her. Just what it was that could explain his actions. Bile rose up in her throat, and as she swallowed hard it burned its way back down. She bit her lip nervously before turning to face him, as he lingered, broodingly, in the center of the living room.

"It was him, wasn't it? He was there. Watching."

Hyde nodded.

She gulped and began pacing across the small room. Her voice was slow, and fragile, when she spoke."And that's why you kissed me? To make him think I had a boyfriend?"

Again he nodded. She could think of nothing to say, so she nodded too.

"I just wanted to let him know that I knew he was there, that I knew who he was, that I wasn't scared, and that you weren't alone. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. I'm just surprised, that's all." Silence filled the room as they both stood, staring blankly, buried in their thoughts.

Finally, she heard him sigh heavily and glance across the room at her, locking his still unshaded eyes with her own. "Look, Jacks, I know you have always wanted to be an actress. And we're all proud that you've been doing so well on your own. But I don't like this. You are young and beautiful, and if it isn't this guy it will be another one, who thinks a pretty little girl in the big bad city is his for the taking. And I don't want you to get hurt. I think its time you considered coming home. For good."

"I appreciate that, Steven. But I can't." Her voice was steady, but finite. And she hoped he realized how serious she was.

He didn't. Or he didn't care. Because his eyes narrowed, and his chest heaved with frustrated breaths. "God, Jackie. Why do you insist on being so stubborn?"

"I'm stubborn? You have the audacity to stand there and call _me_ stubborn!" Her voice had rose in volume and her fear was being pushed out but some of her earlier anger. "You, who just might be the most stubborn being on the planet, are going to judge me because I refuse to give up on my dream to return to a place that hadn't wanted me for months before I left? Well screw you, Steven!"

"What do you mean a place that didn't want you? Do you have any idea what it was like when you left? Or are you still too selfish to care? Fez was devastated. Donna cried all the time. Kitty was constantly blubbering about how she'd failed as a mother because yet another baby had abandoned her. Red was so worried. He started getting every Los Angeles newspaper sent by mail so he could keep track of what was going on out here in case he needed to come out after you and bring you home." He looked at her incredulously. She couldn't really think that she hadn't hurt all them by leaving, could she?

Her eyes gleamed, but this time he was not so happy to see the flush of anger paint her cheek. And she turned to him accusingly, meeting his own angered gaze. "And what about you, Steven? Did you care? Or were you too busy with your whore to even notice I was gone until she left?"

"Damn it, Jackie, of course I cared. Things sucked between us, I can't deny that, but I didn't want you to leave. Like I wouldn't notice or be botheredthat someone I cared about had left me, again. It was killing me to think that I might never see you."

"And yet it took you months to even call. And Fez and Donna were so upset, even though neither one of them had had any time for me until I was gone. I know Kitty and Red missed me, that's why Istartedcalling so often, that's why they got goodbyes. But they alone couldn't make me a home, Steven. I can't go home. I have no home." She glared at him as her breathing slowed and the echoes of their shouting gradually left the room. Then she turned on her heel and marched to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

"So you tried to get her to come home?"

"Yeah."

"And how did it go?"

"Horrible, man. It turned into a fight, and she's been in her room for the last hour." Hyde let out a wary breath as he explained the earlier confrontation to Eric over the phone.

"I'm sorry, I wish I knew what to say."

"I just- she makes me so crazy, you know. I mean to say she has no home? What a slap in the face. Your parents would do anything for her. And we all, well. I mean she's right, there hadn't really been a collective we for a while before she left. But being busy doesn't mean not caring. And if she wasn't so selfish all the time she'd have seenthat." Hyde heard Eric sigh and he couldn't help the tint of accusation that surfaced in his tone. "What, man? You think I'm being too hard on her?"

"I'm sorry, but yeah, I kindado. She's been out there for a long while now. Making it on her own in not the easiest of circumstances. She left because she'd felt abandoned. By all of us.You had gotten married, Donna was more concerned with other things, Fez was busy, me and Kelso were gone.So she thought she'd abandon us back. And she did, shewent hundreds of miles away. But I betshe was still easier for us to find then for her to reach out to you or Donna probably were when you were sitting beside her on the couch. Yelling at her won't bringher back, Hyde. And that's what's important right now. Before this thing with this creep gets any worse."

Hyde knew he was right. After grumbling his thanks for the ear, and the advice, he told him to tell everyone back home hey. "I should go, you know, see if I can talk to her. I'll call you later, Forman."

"Bye."

And with the dial tone pulsing in his ear Hyde looked at Jackie's closed door, and tried futilely to breathe in some courage before knocking.


	13. Chapter 13

Melting: Chapter 13

Author's Note: Thanks again for readers and reviewers…I truly appreciate it, hence the motivation to post again so quickly. Trying to break the long hiatus bad habit. So at any rate, enjoy, and let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Jackie's slight form was slumped onto her bed, staring through the dim glow of the late afternoon at absolutely nothing. Her tiny hands grasped at her arms, trying desperately to pull herself in tightly, to hold in any warmth. But it was pointless. The anger had dampened her skin with sweat and then abandoned her, leaving her colder than before. She knew she'd over-reacted. She knew she'd said things that hurt him when he was just trying to care for her. And she felt a little bad about that, for so long she'd believed he truly had lost all concern for her. But she also knew that she had meant every word she'd said, and that she wasn't over the past's pains, especially those he had caused.

She admitted internally that she had also been just as angry at herself as she had been at him. As soon as he'd said he thought she should go back, part of her, a large and persuasive part, had began to shout enthusiastically in favor of home,but the rest of her was furious with the inner traitor. So much time had passed, so much had changed. While she wanted to return to the days of sitting in the Forman basement laughing with her friends, while her stomach constantly ached for Kitty's love-filled cooking as they all sat around, a big mismatched family, shealsoremembered still that all that hadn't been there when she left, and there was no guarantee it'd ever really be there again. Besides she didn't want to give up. She didn't want to be weak.

She reached to wrap her blankets more snugly around her when she heardhis strong but tentative knock on her bedroom door. And she hesitated a second before calling for him to enter.

Hyde opened the door and tried to hide the nervousness he felt. He'd never been very good at apologizing, especially to Jackie. He offered a low, "Hey," without really looking at her.

She just looked at him, waiting for whatever he'd braved her den to say.

"I'm, well." He cleared his throat and made his way over to bed, motioning as if to ask if he could sit upon it. She pulled her legs up, tucking her chin between her knees, and nodded. He began again, "Jackie, I'm sorry."

He breathed relief out as he let the words float through the air, hoping she'd hear his sincerity. "I was unfair out there. You are right, I have no room to criticize, and you had it harder than any of us realized." He let his eyes look into her hers as her forehead creased with a concentrative gaze.

Staring into him for a few moments, finally she breathed out a simple and soft, "Thank you, Steven."

Feeling a bit more daring, he continued. "I still think you should come back with me. We're all very sorry we messed up, and we need you. But you are your own woman, and I respect that." He saw a small gleam of pride in her eyes, and he realized he really meant what he was saying. "But I'm not leaving, Jacks. Not until this stalker situation is over."

She nodded and smiled at him shyly. He looked at her intently a few minutes more before getting up off the bed. "I've got to call the store, but I'll cook dinner tonight, okay?" He made it to the door before she spoke.

"Steven." He stopped and turned toward her. "Thank you. Really. And I'm sorry too."

He gave her a small smile before shutting the door behind him, leaving her to stare into nothing again. Thankfully she noticed, she was a little less cold.

* * *

The next morning Jackie woke earlier than usual. Padding quietly to kitchen, practically holding her breath to keep from waking Hyde, she could not hold back her scream as the ring of the phone broke through the silence, scaring her. Clutching at her chest as if to slow her racing her heart, she looked to see Hyde entering the kitchen as she answered the still ringing phone.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jackie, honey. It's Kitty. I'm so sorry to call so early, but I really, really need to speak to Steven." Jackie turned to the still groggy looking man beside her and handed him the receiver.

Jackie listened to his side of the conversation intently, wondering what could be so important. She watched as his face stayed blank, but the growling element of his voice let her know that whatever it was it was apparently not good news. Finishing up with merely an "I'll call you soon," Hyde hung up the phone sighing heavily.

"Steven? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, Jacks. Everything is fine." His face still looked clouded with concern and frustration as he left the kitchen and made his way to the bathroom for a shower.

Jackie couldn't help but notice the sinking fearful feeling that was tugging forcefully at her stomach. She didn't know why Steven wouldn't tell her what was going on, but she hoped he let her in on it soon. She had a sneaking suspicion that it very much had something to do with her, and her safety.


	14. Chapter 14

Melting: Chapter 14

Author's Note: An extension of my most sincerest gratitude for all of you who are reading and reviewing. I feel like my quality of writing has been plummeting lately, which scares me a bit,but your feedback is giving me the motivation to keep going and try harder, and I appreciate that more than you'll ever know. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Hyde let the spray of water pelt his skin, already flushed from the heat. He closed his eyes and held his head upward, hoping the steam would help him breathe. When he'd first made the call to Kitty, asking her to play detective he'd truly thought that it was merely a shot in the dark, but after his conversation with Kitty just moments before, he had a nauseating feeling that the idea wasn't so ludicrous.

He knew he had to tell Jackie, to talk this out with her, get her ideas. But at the same time the idea of telling her that her parents had failed her yet againmade his blood feel cold. After all, his number one concern was always to protect her, from any kind of pain, and he suspected this would just deepen the wounds she already lived with. All the same, if Pam's gold-digging and careless lifestyle had put Jackie in harms way, the tiny brunette had every right to know. But that didn't mean Hyde had to like telling her. So he let the water beat against him, until well after the warmness had vanished, and he let the cool droplets trickle down his body while he searched himself for another burst of strength.

* * *

When he finally talked himself out of the shower, and had slowly dried and dressed, he practiced the monologue he'd prepared a few times over in his head. Turning the knob and pushing the door open, he stepped out to see Jackie seated on the couch, eyes wide and saddened, hands folded delicately in her lap, and he knew she was shivering.

"Jackie?" She didn't even look up at him at the sound of her name, she didn't blink, she just stared ahead as she spoke.

"He called again. Just now."

Hyde felt himself sigh, deeply, sorrowfully. He just wanted to take her home and have all of this over and done with, but things didn't happen so easily anymore.

"What'd he say this time?"

"He asked if I was whore, just like her." His brow furrowed and he sat beside her, taking her hand gently and trying to place himself in front of her gaze, only to feel it go right through him.

"Like who?"

"I don't know. But the way he said _her_, like he was spitting out poison," she finally looked at him as her voice broke slightly, " Steven, it was the most hateful thing I've ever heard."

He squeezed her hand, just hard enough to remind her he was really there, and softly asked, "Jackie, did he say anything else?"

She nodded, and her stare seemed to fall upon their hands intertwined as she gulped back tears. "He said you couldn't be with me always. He said he could wait as long as he needed to." She barely got the words out before she was crying, hard sobs breaking free from her delicate body, shaking her shoulders even as she continued to shudder from her cold. He repositioned her, pulling her closely into his warmth, circling her with his arms as her head fell upon his shoulder. And he rubbed her arms and he kissed her forehead, and he murmured quietly that everything would be all right.

They stayed that way until new shadows swept across the wall, and then Hyde carried a sleeping Jackie to her bed and watched over her through the night.

* * *

Jackie winced the next morning as she woke up, body sore from her emotional exhaustion and her violent sobs, and as she carefully tried to stretch her arms brushed against something warm and soft and breathing, and she nearly jumped out of her skin when she realized it was the strong chest of Steven Hyde. She quickly tried to put together what she remembered before sleeping, but she could remember nothing after crying into his arms. She frantically, fearfully, peeked under the covers.

Yes, thank God, she was completely clothed.

But that still did not explain how she'd gotten into bed, and how he'd gotten there with her, sitting up right, back against the wall, eyes shut tight with sleep, a zen expression on his face. She pulled herself up carefully, as not to wake him, and her eyes fell upon his lips and she tried desperately to remember the last time she kissed him, and she honestly could not. And she wondered if she ever would again. And perhaps it was to distract herself from the fear she still felt from the incidents the days before, and perhaps it was because she was so very tired of being lonely, but she allowed herself to remember what it had been like between them for the first time in a long time. And she allowed herself to unlock all the love for him she knew she still undeniably felt. And she tentatively leaned up, rationalizing that he was asleep and would never, ever know, and placed her lips just barely against his own.

She held them there for what to her felt like a blissful eternity, but which must have actually been only mere seconds. Then she opened her eyes slowly, prepared to pull away, only to be shocked at the sight of his two, bright blue eyes, staring into hers, shock and hope radiating out. She heard herself let out a cry of surprise against his lips, but it was muffled to her ears for, before she knew what was happening, he was kissing her deeply and their arms were wrapped around each other tightly.

Jackie knew that this was foolish, that this shouldn't be happening. But somehow she felt completely safe. So she let him move her back down onto her pillow, deciding she'd figure out what it all meant later, and allowed herself just to enjoy the safety for now.


	15. Chapter 15

Melting: Chapter 15

Author's Note: Please, please, please, please, please review! Thank you for reading this, I know it's been so long since I've updated and I apologize that this chapter may not be worth the wait. But I sincerely hope you enjoy, and appreciate any feedback you might grace me with.

Disclaimer: Not Mine.

Hyde carefully pulled himself to hover above her, never letting his lips break from hers. The kiss on the street had been enough to wet his appetite, to remind him how good she tasted, but it was all a decoy, and other thoughts had pushed those away. But now, she was letting him kiss her, and no one was watching, and Steven Hyde could barely contain his want for her.

Under the warm blankets, with his heat surrounding her, Jackie felt herself relax into the bed with a new relief. She'd forgotten what it could be like, to be alive, to be touched. She'd forgotten how hot he could make her.

She closed her eyes and refuse to concentrate on anything, anything other than the lips that had moved to her neck, to the spot just below her ear. And his wet kisses were like liquid fire, searing her skin in the most enjoyable way. She felt him pull at the loose collar of her shirt, spreading his lips all the way down to the curve of her shoulder, licking and nipping at her flesh the entire way.

All the bad that had passed between them was temporarily forgotten. All that had kept her frozen, was forgiven briefly. All that mattered was that Jackie needed to feel him, all over her, surrounding her. And she hoped that the longing in his kisses meant he needed her too.

They are lips reunited as he pushed her shirt up off her smooth skin, and the kiss broke only for a second as he slipped it over her head. Soon his shirt followed. She leaned up to place light kisses across his strong chest, and when he let out a deep growling moan of her name, Jackie thought she had to be dreaming.

Then the rest of their oppressive clothes found their way to the floor as she leaned in to each and every one of his tender caresses. And the silence that usually plagued her lonely apartment was shattered by their sighs and screams of homecoming, before both crashed hard into a contented sleep.

* * *

The sun breaking through the windows burned at Hyde's eyes as they fought to keep him shut in the wonderfulness of sleep. The best sleep he'd had in ages. Being Jackie always gave him a peace his sleep could never grant without her, and smiling in memory of their night, he reached to hold her close as he turned away from the light.

It was like a cold splash of water to find the space she'd occupied when he'd fallen asleep completely empty and had no lingering feeling of her body heat.

And though he wasn't sure why, his mind fixated on one thought. She'd left him. Again.

More awake now than he'd have liked, Hyde felt over the edge of the bed for his pants on the floor. Pulling them on quickly, and running a hand through his hair in apprehension, he quietly opened the bedroom door, praying she didn't regret anything.

As he walked around the apartment, tentatively passed the bathroom, listening for the shower, then into the living room, half-expecting her to be reading, and finally, near-panic in his chest, into the kitchen hoping she was eating, he had the sudden feeling that something was horribly wrong. Reading the note she'd left on the table, he could not shake the terror filtering like shock waves through his bare chest.

Steven-

Thank you for everything. You being here means more than you know.

But last night, well, it shouldn't have happened.

I used you. I needed to feel warm so badly, and I allowed myself to be caught up in you, and remember for the first time in forever how you used to make me come alive.

I hope you will forgive me. I'm so sorry I took advantage.

But, on a hopeful note, the studio called. I got the part! They wanted me to come in this morning for contract stuff.

I needed some fresh air, to get out and process. And I felt so bad, I didn't want to wake you, so I just decided to take the bus.

Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've got my pepper spray, and for some reason the idea of facing you this morning was more terrifying than being out there alone. Who knows, I might be home before you even see this.

-J

Steven felt nausea hit him suddenly, like a punch to the gut. He moved quickly through the small apartment, finding his key, his shirt, his shoes; he was out the door in mere seconds. He had to find her, had to get to her; and he had a horrible feeling another man was out there, waiting, with the exact same thought.


	16. Chapter 16

Melting: Chapter 16

Author's Note: So, I didn't call in sick, but an ice storm did hit, so no work for me, and a few updates for you...so long as it doesn't make the power go out! Thank you to anyone who reads this, especially with the great delays between updates. Please please please please take a moment to review. I hope you enjoy...

Disclaimer: You know how the episode where Red finds out Eric and Donna are engaged? And he's mocking Eric, "Well you sure say that a lot, so it must be true. here, let's see if it works. I'm Mr. Rogers..." Well, It's mine. Their mine. All of it belongs to me (laughs maniacally... Nope, still not true. Damn, Red _is _always right.

* * *

Steven Hyde's lungs were on fire. Too many years of smoking and drinking and skipping gym, had left his body unprepared for the trial he was putting it to. But he had to find her. As fast as possible. So he ran. Around a city he wasn't familiar with. With little idea of just how long she'd been out on her own. 

To the studio first, where she had made it in, Thank God. But they'd said she'd left at least an hour ago. And without a thank you to the receptionist, he was out running again.

To the grocery store, to the beach. To the small restraunts he knew she liked. He ran passed the strange looks without a care, without even noticing. He had to find her.

He checked the mall. Just in case she'd decided to celebrate the role with a little shopping. He ran by every salon in a 5 mile radius, peaking in windows and throwing open doors, searching desperately for a tiny, beautiful girl that he was going to kiss or kill as soon as he found her.

Sweat made his t-shirt cling to his chest and back and arms. His feet were already sore...boots were not made from running. He could feel his sunglasses sliding down his nose, and still he pushed, mentally insisting he needed to move faster, think faster. He'd never been so scared in his life.

The sun was already well passed the highest point of the day and easing towards the horizon. Every muscle in his body was cramping, tightening, slowing him down and finally, making him stop. He looked up, face unusually contorted with frustration, fear, agony, at the apartment building.

He noticed a shadow cross the window, and then the flickering of a new light filling the room. With a sudden and renewed energy, he was in the building, climbing steps with the longest stride he could, until his hand was at the door, pushing it open...he held his breath.

"Jackie?"

* * *

She walked into his view, and immediately his body began to curl inward. His search was over, she was safe. But he could feel a thick blanket of anger beginning to spread to the crevices where desperate worry had just been. He took a few steps towards her, looking her up and down to make sure she was really okay, and then he turned and headed straight for the kitchen. 

"Steven? Are you okay? You look...uh, well, dirty." Jackie asked, to his back as she leaned on the doorframe and watched him swallow down 3 glasses of water, and then without hesitation grab a beer from the fridge. Not even looking at her, he made his way back into the living room, gulping his beer as he went. Plopping down on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table, and turning on the TV. Annoyed, Jackie rolled her eyes, she hated being ignored. Moving to stand in front of the television, she folded her arms across her chest, and fixed him with her most withering glare. "Is this about last night? Look, I already said I was sorry, there's no need for you to act like an ass."

"Is this about last night!? Jackie, are you freaking kidding me? I'm watching TV, and really it's in your best interest not to push me right now. So move."

"Excuse me? This is my home, mister. So you can take your stinky, dirtiness right off my couch, thank you very much. It didn't cost much, but up until now it didn't reak, and that's the way I liked it."

Suddenly, Hyde was standing. She hadn't expected him to listen, or to get more upset. Really, she'd just expected to push him a little until he told her what was wrong. Partly, because she could tell something was wrong, and also, because this was the first day in forever that she'd felt like herself. He'd given that to her. Or she'd taken that from him. She wasn't sure which, but either way she didn't want him mad at her for it. Even if it could never happen again.

But now she felt like maybe she'd crossed the line, he was far angrier than he should be about sex. He was Steven after all, and she knew he too had enjoyed it. He took his glasses off, setting them aside. He stepped closer and as he did, peeled the drenched t-shirt from his body.

"Jackie, don't you wonder why I'm so dirty? Why a guy you've barely ever seen leave the house willingly in the heat, let alone go jogging in it, is drenched with sweat from an afternoon run around LA?" He was close to her now, right in front of her, and his tone was so layered and in his now naked eyes she could see every emotion he was feeling, and it overwhelmed her. She wondered to herself, as she saw anger, disgust, annoyance, frustration, even maybe gratefulness and concern, floating behind his bright blue veils, which one would inspire the next words out of his mouth.

She gulped, "Why, Steven?"

"Because I've spent the last 4 and a half hours running all over, looking for you. Leaving this morning without me is the stupidest thing you have ever done. And I was out there trying to find you, to protect you. Maybe that's the stupidest thing I've ever done."

"Ste-"

"No. There's a man who is out to get you, do you understand that? If he finds you, which he can, so easily, and I'm not there, what are you going to do, kick his shins? Tell him he has bad hair until he goes away? You can't be like this, lost in your own little Jackie world, oblivious to everyone else, when your life might be on the line." His voice was rising, but he was not shouting at her. His eyes were as bright as she'd ever seen them. And she couldn't look away. "And I mean, I'm out here. My work, my friends, the closest thing I have to a family and a home, are all back there." He waved his hand in the direction Point Place might have been, before bringing a finger to his chest, and pointing it, poking it repeatedly to his bare flesh. "But here I am, because you are alone, because you are in danger. And do you know what I would do if anything happened to you? Do you? Do you know what it was like to wake up with you gone and not be able to find you? If I came back tonight, and you weren't here, I would have snapped, Jackie. I was already at the edge of my rope with worry. I would have not rested until I found that guy and tore him apart with my bare hands." He looked at her, really looked into her. And rather than feeling the warmth of his concern, the walls she built around her frozen heart that allowed him to stay, to protect her, crumbled, and it unleashed all the pain she still held in with every single breath.

"If you can't take it, then leave, Steven. I never asked you to stay. And don't you dare get self-righteous on me now." She stepped forward a half-step, so they were really toe to toe, chest to chest. Her voice was so low. "Since when do you even care, Steven. The only reason I'm even out here, is because of you, because you broke me. Inside. Completely. What can he possibly do to me that'd be worse than that? Worse than what you did by marrying _her_, by staying with _her_, by touching _her_, kissing _her_, making love to _her_, and then smiling as you watched **me** cry."

She had let two tears fall down her cheeks, and she was surprised by how warm they felt. She stared at him, deeply and pointedly, through misty eyes, and she watched thoughts and almost words and feelings pass across his face like fast rolling storm clouds. Their breathing was fast and heavy, their bodies were so close. And the tension seemed to push everything faster, heavier, closer.

Until the phone rang. Startled, the strong-willed, old Jackie she'd allowed to resurface recoiled at the tone. And a very angry Steven Hyde went to yank the receiver off the wall.

"Hello." His voice boomed and hissed and snarled all at once.

And he found his tone entirely justified when it wasn't Kitty, or Red, or any of their friends on the other end.

He heard the breathing. Then a soft laughing. A mocking chuckle that made his fists clench at his side.

"I saw her today. And she was very alone."

Hyde's fists wrapped even tighter, the muscles of his back rippeling in agitation.

"You were no where around. But I didn't take her. Why? Because I can be patient. I'm sure it will happen again. And I wanted to let you know, that I didn't, but I could have, and let you think about what that means for a while."

Click. Dial tone. And an angry barreling, "FUCK!" escaping his lips.

He hung the receiver up with such force that Jackie thought for sure it was going to crumble and fall off the wall.

His head was hanging low and everything about his arms and back seemed to be pulled so tight, like he was really being stretched thin.

Jackie felt suddenly like the chills would never stop, like the relief of the night before had been a lie, a tease. She'd never be well again.

And she couldn't stop the warm tears turning to icey ones, that wouldn't stop.

Slowly, she walked up behind him, and with a shaking hand reached out and touched his shoulder. It was shaking, and if she didn't know him better, she have thought he was crying.

Her voice, a hoarse whisper, floated out a litany of soft, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Finally, abruptly he turned to her. His eyes were so dark. With anger, but she could have sworn she saw something else...something she hadn't seen in so long.

"Steven, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought all that up, and you, you have been so great to have here. I'm just, I'm so sor-"

She was silenced as he pulled her to him, his breathing raspy and uneven, his face red. "Jackie, I-." And without another breath he was kissing her and pulling her towards the bedroom.

* * *

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